Surviving and Thriving In Uncertain Times - Day 5 (Team Maggie and Caitlin)

Hi friends and family!

Team Maggie and Caitlin checking in here! We are all doing well despite the recent “amoeba bug” that got a majority of our team – the good news is that we are all feeling better and looking forward to participating in service tomorrow.

Yesterday our group members who were feeling well went out during the morning for a tour of the San Lucas hospital, women’s center, Café Juanana coffee making place, and school. 

In the afternoon, we set out for our first service project, working on building a wooden home for one of the families in San Lucas.

Today more healthy group members joined us for a service opportunity in the morning which consisted of doing some “spring” cleaning for the mission center. In the afternoon, all of our group members were in attendance for a coffee making demonstration and sampling at the Café Juanana coffee laboratory. We also helped in the coffee making process by sorting coffee beans.

Although many of us might not be feeling our best, we are on the up rise of recovery and looking forward to the rest of our service time in San Lucas. Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to keep us in your thoughts during the rest of our stay in Guatemala!

-Olivia B.

G Champs (Team Katie & Delaney)

This morning we went on a tour of the mission where we got to visit the Women’s Center, Hospital, Juan Ana Café, and the School. The ladies at the woman’s center showed us the process they go through when weaving fabric. It was amazing to see all the work that can go into something as simple as a scarf. The traditional pattern for San Lucas is passed down from memory and is something very important to their heritage. At the Hospital, they showed us their equipment, and explained the different procedures they are able to complete. At the coffee place we learned about the process they go through from picking the coffee, removing the flesh of the berry, deshelling and roasting. Finally, we went to the school and learned about the educational system of the San Lucas Mission. After lunch, our group split up and when to two different work sites. We really enjoyed getting dirty and working hard. Everyone really pulled together as a team. We surprised each other with our perseverance as everyone used their muscles to get the job done.

- Katie

Woman's Center 

Traditional weaving of San Lucas

Hospital operating room 

Coffee drying in the sun 

Clearing out a trench for the foundation of a new building 

Putting up the walls of a house

Life on Lake Atitlan (Team Katie & Delaney)

Hola!
Today we really got to be immersed in the culture as we explored the villages of San Antonio and Panajachel while on a boat tour of Lake Atitlan. While we were there we explored the streets and vendors and bought small souvenirs. In San Antonio, a local woman even gave us a lesson on the traditional methods of dying threads used in traditional textiles! When we returned to San Lucas, some of our group members decided to shop around the mission and wondered into a shop owned by a local named Maria who decided to give them authentic makeovers (check the pics below). Tonight’s reflection focused on learning more about each group member and their personality traits where we continued growing as individuals during this shared experience. We’ll keep ya up to date as we begin this week of service tomorrow! Chao!
- Erin

Lake Atitlan 

Each group member's favorite souvenir 

Learning about dying methods for threads 

Hailey, Gabriela and Olivia in Traditional Mayan Dress

Day Three / "Tourist" Day (Team Maggie and Caitlin)

Hola la familia y amigos!

Today concluded our second day in San Lucas. We started the day with breakfast at the mission and team Maggie and Caitlin worked through dish duty with great teamwork skills and positive energy.

After breakfast, we took to Lake Atitlan for our “tourist” day, taking in the beautiful scenery via tour boats on our way to some villages across the lake.

We spent the late morning and afternoon enjoying the shops, food and people of Panajachel and San Antonio. Their friendly faces and genuine joy made lasting impressions on each member of our group.

In San Antonio, Paulina gave us a demonstration on how the women make the beautiful blankets, scarves, and other woven accessories that they sell in their joint shop.

After our eventful day, we returned to San Lucas for a late afternoon siesta followed by dinner at the mission and a trip to the local ice cream shop for an after dinner sweet treat.

After returning to our hotel, we gathered together to journal and reflect on our busy day. Today was a great day full of group bonding that will follow through in our days of volunteering to come. We look forward to an eventful upcoming week full of friendship, service and spirit in the beautiful San Lucas, Guatemala.

-       Olivia B.

Buenos Dias (Team Maggie & Caitlin)

Hola friends! We arrived in San Lucas yesterday at 11:30! We are all settled in to our hotel & oriented with the mission and the city! After watching the Father Greg video, we are excited to live out the values he instilled in the city as we begin to walk along side the people of the community. We went to mass last night where Father Michael held Mass, as well as performed a baptism, confirmation, and wedding! It was also Olivia K's birthday yesterday and Olga (one of the cooks at the mission) made her a cake. We are excited to visit some of the surrounding villages of Lake Atitlan today! Stay Tuned!

-Maggie, Caitlin & our team!

Hola from San Lucas (Team Katie & Delaney)

Today we left Guatemala City and arrived at our destination, San Lucas Toliman just before lunch time! The locals greeted us with welcome arms, and the hospitality we received from the hotel we are staying at was amazing. All of the locals greeted us with genuine smiles that made me think maybe a life of simplicity truly is the key to happiness. We were able to immerse ourselves in the culture as we walked throughout the community, greeted the children which were happily entertaining themselves, passed the unique street vendors, and took in the geography that’s defined through the hills and lake. Before dinner we were able to watch a video that showed how Father Greg Schaffer worked throughout his life to help the mission grow in order to transform the community for the better. It left us with the question of, “what will you do next?” After dinner we were able to attend mass and were fortunate enough to witness both a baptism, confirmation and a wedding! The sermon Father Kisiki gave reiterated the phrase, “perder para ganar” which translates to “you have to lose in order to win.” This is a phrase I feel is important for everyone to accept in order to grow from their experiences. Overall, we had a day full of realization and learning. A day in which we all will take different lessons from as we transform throughout the rest of the week.
- Gabriela

Welcome to Guatemala!

Hello family and friends! After two successful flights, we have made it safely to Guatemala City! We are all so excited to begin this amazing experience and opportunity, and we have already bonded over pizza and good conversations! Tomorrow morning we will be leaving the city to travel to San Lucas! Stay tuned for what's to come in our first full day in a new country!

- Hailey